3 Jul 2020 12:25

Volunteers showing no adverse reactions after two weeks of Covid-19 vaccine trials - Russian Defense Ministry

MOSCOW. July 3 (Interfax) - Volunteers taking part in relevant trials have developed no negative reactions after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine two weeks ago, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The first group of volunteers who received one of the vaccine's two components each on June 18 are feeling well and don't have any health-related complaints. No serious, undesirable reactions have been registered in the past two weeks," the ministry said in a statement shared with Interfax on Friday.

"The experiment's participants from the second group who received the first component of the vaccine on June 23 and who will receive the second component if required on the 21st day after this are also feeling well and have not developed any complications or adverse reactions," it said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on June 30 that clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccine would be completed before the end of July.

"We are continuing, jointly with the Gamalei institute, to work to create a vaccine from the novel coronavirus. Vaccine trials on 38 volunteers have been held at the Burdenko main clinical hospital since June 18. The trials will be completed by the end of July," Shoigu said.

According to the Defense Ministry, two groups of volunteers were selected, one comprised of officers, warrant officers and professional soldiers, the other of civilians.

The first group (18 volunteers) was injected with the vaccine on June 18, the second group (20 volunteers) was vaccinated on June 20, the Defense Ministry said.

It was reported that the vaccine is being developed by the 48th central scientific research institute of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops jointly with the Gamalei Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. The vaccine is due to reach the stage of state registration in August.

Several more scientific centers are working on a vaccine, including the consumer regulator Rospotrebnadzor's Vector Center and the Institute of Vaccines and Sera in St. Petersburg.